An adventure set in the lofty heights (and dangerous depths)of Hindu thought. Insider tips? Relax, dissolve your preconcieved notions & get chanting.And by the way, dont believe all that you hear! A rudimentary knowledge of Sanskrit, Tamil and a fleeting accquaintance with the puranas and other such texts might come in handy.
Wisdom takes courage.

Monday, October 29, 2012

srigurubhyO namahA |
In the 167th mantrA, which is the last one of this subsection , the sage wonders what difference it would make to let the ravens and crows peck away at the dead body instead of cremating it through the proper methods prescribed in the scriptures.

What though
the ravens on him feed and way-farers scorn?
What though you feed with parting drops of milk; or many scoff?
For, know that this bag of leather, inflated awhile,
The Great Show-man blows and batters with a smile. I.2.25.167

Com -
For, know that this bag of leather,
inflated awhile when this body which is nothing more than a bag of leather,
falls when it has reached the end of the fruit of its merits The Great Show-man blows and batters with a
smile. And when the great show man, the one who has been feeding the body
the fruits of its actions, the hero of the story of life, namely the the life
force has departed from the body, it is nothing more than an empty shell. What though the ravens on him feed and
way-farers scorn? (and when you realise this truth) what does it matter if
the dead body became a feast for the ravens? Or what does it matter if
bystanders and wayfarers condemn it? What
though you feed with parting drops of milk; or many scoff? What does it
matter if after cremating the body the ashes were collected and drops of milk
offered to it? What does it matter then if many praised it?

*In
the final mantra of this sub section on the transitoriness of the body, the
sage indicates that the faculties of sensation and reason exist in the body
only during the period where the life principle is associated with it. After
death, the body itself is just a ‘bag of leather’. The observation that it does
not matter to the body if it is being pecked at by ravens or if the proper
rites associated with cremation were performed duly, is spoken purely from the
standpoint of the dead and feeling less body. It should not construed as the
sage’s view with regard to the Hindu cremation practises. The emphasis is on
the fact that once the indwelling life principle has departed from the physical
body, there is nothing more of the ‘experiencer’ left in it and thus it is
incapable of recognising what happens to it. The juxtaposition of the the two
sets of opposites in the last two lines of the verse suggests performance of
the appropriate funeral rites to be a path that is commended.

3
comments:

Anonymous
said...

Seeing the elaborate rituals to the dead body i have wondered about those who willing donate their body to medical research? Is it papa or punya?Maybe the rituals are more for the contemplation of the living.- K

@K, This is a bit of a difficult question. According to the strict injunctions, it is a sin to cut this body (even for surgery)and one is supposed to ensure that there are no body parts, organs etc missing from the body when it is to be cremated.Though the more traditional/orthodox people might still cling on to some of these injunctions, most today would not hesitate to withhold medical treatment or intervention to buy themselves more time in the land of the living.

It is my personal belief that it is a good thing to donate one's organs to others after death - like eyes,heart etc and that might help someone live their life. Though I have to mention here that the scriptures do not advocate this.punyA or pApA, it is still a gesture of empathy towards other living beings.

Regrading donating the whole body to research, I am not too sure - I would still imagine that cremation of the body is an important step towards bringing on the next incarnation.